Good morning! “If you can’t fly then run, If you can’t run then walk, If you can’t walk then crawl, But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Today, we pause to honor a man that moved our country and our society forward in so many ways. As we celebrate victories, moments and stories in each and every edition of The Three Torches, let us remember those who helped pave the paths before us.

What else can you find in today's Brew?

🏀 Trojans take down crosstown rivals
⚽️ USC soccer star goes pro
⚔️ And much, much more!

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🔼 Full House. In front of a record crowd of 10,657, the Women of Troy got their revenge for the loss earlier this season with a 73-65 win against crosstown rival and No. 2 ranked UCLA. The win snapped the Bruins’ nine-game win streak over the Trojans and marked the 17th straight win at home in the Galen Center.

🎥 Catch the postgame interview with head coach Lindsay Gottlieb

None other than Juju Watkins earned Player of the Game after leading the charge with 32 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. McKenzie Forbes added 18 points after going 3-5 from beyond the arc, and Kayla Padilla rounded out the trio of Trojans in the double-digits with 13 points.

USC will now set off for its first out-of-state Pac-12 adventure next week as they head to Salt Lake City to visit Utah in a 6 p.m. meeting on Friday.

🔼 Strong Start. Trojan track and field kicked off its 2024 campaign with a win in nine different events with 14 personal bests and six athletes recording all-time top-10 marks. Take a look at the winner’s circle from the Spokane Sports Showcase:

🥇 Jasmine Jones (W-60m H)

🥇Jassani Carter (W-60m)

🥇Bryce Brock (M-60m)

🥇Madison Whyte (W-300m)

🥇Johnnie Blockburger (M-300m)

🥇Marne Sullivan (W-800m)

🥇Max Thomas (M-200m)

🥇JC Stevenson (M-LJ)

🥇Elias Gerald (M-HJ)

🔼 Chugging Along. USC men’s volleyball continued its strong start to the season with another win as the team improved to 4-0 after a four-set win over Lincoln Memorial. Sophomore outside hitter Dillon Klein reached double-digit kills for the 22nd time in his career after finishing with a season-high 24 kills on a .524 hitting percentage. Freshman Caleb Blanchette also came away with a double-double for the first time in his collegiate career with 48 assists and 10 digs.

📚️ Read more about the Trojans’ win over Lincoln Memorial

🔼 Playing Boulder. USC men’s basketball put up a fight with a shorthanded lineup but were unable to come away with a win after falling 68-58 to Colorado on Saturday night. Despite the loss, USC led for 26 of the game's 40 minutes and led by 16 points with 8:42 remaining in the first half when Sellers led the Trojans on a 19-2 run.

Oziyah Sellers finished with a career-high 18 points off the bench to lead the team in scoring while three other Trojans, Vincent Iwuchukwu, DK Rodman and Kobe Johnson, finished with 10 points in the matchup.

🔼 Smooth Swimming. Both the men’s and women’s swim teams defeated their opponents this weekend to pick up three total wins. USC’s men's team improved to 2-2 on the season with a win on Friday against the Bruins while the Women of Troy defeated both UC San Diego and Utah to remain undefeated.

USC opened the meet going 1-2 in both the women's and men's 200y medley relay as the Trojan A relays came out on top. On the women's side, Caroline Famous, Kaitlyn Dobler, Anicka Delgado and Vasilissa Buinaia combined to clock a 1:40.73 and take the event. Troy's Vaggelis Makyrgiannis, Chris O'Grady, Michal Chmielewski and Artem Selin finished in first with a time of 1:28.46. The Trojans then capped off the session with wins in both the men's and women's 400y freestyle relays. 

📚️ Read more about USC swim’s wins over the weekend

Today’s trivia question is brought to you by USC Credit Union. Built upon a tradition of trust, USC Credit Union is the only financial institution owner and operated by the Trojan Family. From full banking services with better rates and lower fees. to the best possible service, USC Credit Union members are equipped with the competitive edge to thrive. Become a member of our family and start your journey to financial wellness.

Making History. The Women of Troy knocked off a top-10 opponent for the second time this season with their wins against No. 2 UCLA and No. 7 Ohio State.

Our question today: do you know the last time Trojan women’s basketball recorded two or more wins over top-10 opponents in a single season?

Think you got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

⚔️ ONE BIG THING

The 2024 NWSL Draft saw former Trojans, Zoe Burns, selected by the Utah Royals with the first pick of the third round. With the selection, Burns becomes the 16th Woman of Troy to be selected in the NWSL since 2014.

Burns was a four-year starter for the Trojans, appearing in 68 total games with 58 starts, while earning All-Region honors twice and All-Pac-12 recognition three times. She helped lead USC to the postseason each of her four collegiate seasons and recorded 5,112 minutes played, with six goals and 10 assists. In total, she helped lead the Trojans to 44 wins, 32 shutouts, four Top-3 finishes in the Pac-12 and 28 total conference victories while at USC.

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📅 LOOKING AHEAD

*All times Pacific

Monday, Jan. 15

🎾 Men’s Tennis @ Sherwood Cup in Sherwood, CA

⛳️ Men’s Golf @ The Copper Cup in Maricopa, AZ

Tuesday, Jan. 16

No scheduled events

Wednesday, Jan. 17

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Arizona @ 7 p.m. in Tucson, AZ | Watch | Listen | Live Stats

⚔️ Click here to view the full USC Trojan Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 1992-93!

The Trojans last knocked off two top-10 opponents in the 1992-93 season.

⚔️ Have a great Monday, everyone!